The Traitor's Kiss

Gr 9 Up—A debut novel that blends fantasy, romance, and battlefield action. Sage Fowler's stubbornness keeps her from a marriage match, but her keen eye lands her a job as the matchmaker's apprentice. Tasked with surveying a caravan of brides, Sage assumes a false identity. Meanwhile, Captain Quinn's rookie mistake dooms his company to the group's escort duty. But a treacherous threat looms. Sage's secret position and the military's urgent mission become irreversibly intertwined. Readers will be rewarded when the romantic chemistry heats up and a spy's true character is revealed in this character-driven story. The short chapters keep the perspectives changing, but the pace and the world-building feel gradual at times. Unfortunately, Beaty employs problematic tropes, such as "dark-skinned" foreign invaders, and Sage and the brides exhibit misogyny.